1. Field of the Invention
The process of the present invention relates to hazardous and non-hazardous waste. More particularly, the present invention relates to a process for treating a waste stream containing hazardous and non-hazardous components, through increasing the temperature of the waste stream over a given period of time to desirable temperatures, through a plurality of heat phases in the system, so as to reduce the stream to a liquid and gaseous state, so that various components can be removed from the stream at particular temperatures, and may be condensed for reclamation.
2. General Background
Various industries, through their operation, produce waste stream from materials utilized in the industry. Therefore, there is an ever-increasing problem of the treatment of these waste streams in order to properly dispose of components which are harmful to the environment, and in order to recover components which may be useful when recovered. The Environmental Protection Agency, through their guidelines, have characterized waste as either hazardous waste or non-hazardous waste.
For example, in the field of refining oil and natural gas, as well as the condensate, which is recovered during the process of refining the waste stream, there are certain components of the waste stream which can not be refined or processed, and which are then destined for discard and disposal and may cause possible environment problems in the future due to the process of leaking into the water table adjacent the pits. In fact, most petro-chemical waste involved heavily ladened volatile organic compounds (or oil), which exist in emulsions with the inert earth, water, and other chemical compounds which become hazardous to the environment particularly from emissions through evaporation or from leakage into soil and ultimately going into ground water (drinking water)
Heretofore, there has not been a process which could properly process a waste stream, wherein the stream is subjected to various degrees of heat, over certain period of times, so that all the hazardous hydrocarbon components in the stream are volatilized at particular temperatures, and may then be recondensed into a recoverable and reusable component, or may be confined as a hazardous material which must otherwise be placed in storage and removed as a source of harm to the environment. The process of the present invention addresses a new and improved method of management of such diverse waste streams, and solves the problems that are being confronted in the present state of the art.
It is known in the art that there is provided a conveyor system for moving oil well cuttings through a chamber wherein the cuttings are fired by flames in order to drive them into the ashen state and thus be removed as dry cuttings or dry waste. The shortcoming of this particular apparatus is that when the open flame or oxidation occurs near the cite of a borehole, in the case of oilfield wastes, it creates an extremely hazardous situation. Furthermore, and perhaps even worse, the oxidation process can actually serve as a catalyst to form chemical compounds, thus not in-line with the separation process in reducing the waste, but in line with a now rejoining process of chemical catalyst of oxidation during the process of oxidizing (i.e., incineration process).
Several patents have been granted to the present inventor, which cover the incineration of oil well cuttings. The purpose for citing these patents is to point out current technology which can be utilized by the process of the present invention in serving as the means to provide the multi-phase heat required to thermally distill a diverse waste stream. However, although the aforesaid patents are directed to oil and gas wastes (containing hazardous constituents), the process of the present invention addresses a waste stream having hazardous and non-hazardous components in the stream, and may or may not contain hydrocarbons in the waste stream.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,283, entitled "A System For Extracting Contaminants And Hydrocarbons From Cutting Waste In Oil Well Drilling", relates to the distillation of oil well cuttings through the use of laterally disposed augers where the cuttings are processed prior to being opened into waste containers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,301, entitled "A System For Extracting Contaminants And Hydrocarbons From Cutting Waste In Oil Well Drilling", also relates to an improvement of the process in the '283 patent, in that the gas released from the heating process is passed through a heat exchanger, in order to recondense some of the gaseous waste, rather than release the waste to atmosphere.
However, as stated earlier, it is suggested that the systems used in U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,283, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,301, can additionally be used for refining, production, and transportation of wastes in various industries. Due to increased technological advancements, which are recited as follows, the technology can now be utilized to separate hazardous waste being classified under the Superfund by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and to reduce the actual waste, thereby making it economical and more feasible to manage.